“Another ten auditions? You’re ing kidding me.”

“Not really, no. I see it right here.”

“Whatever... Let's just get on with it. It’s already midnight; I just want to go home and sleep.”

Son Seungwan sits with displeasure written all over her face, thrown off at the lack of talent from the contestants this evening. She’s one of the toughest vocal coaches in the industry so she can be pretty intimidating to people who don’t know her personally. If she knew she’d be wasting her time like this, she wouldn’t have agreed to sit in for her friend. This being an audition for an idol makes it even worse because she’s only a vocal coach, not a dance coach or both – she already looks a little silly.

Less or more talent is secondary, in all fairness, but if the trainees are not willing to put in an effort or practice harder to get assessed then what’s the point?

“Seungwan, what did you think?”

“Honestly? I think you’re better off singing karaoke.”

The other coaches flinch unconsciously at the blunt comment; it might not be the worst comment they’ve heard from her but wow, it certainly cuts into another person. Although trainees’ first impressions of her never go well, the testimonies they give usually blow up because of her reverse charm.

“With a little bit more practice though, I think you can get that breath management done well. You’re already doing good for your age so you’ll just have to chalk a lot of it up to experience.”

Sometimes – or once in a blue moon, really – Seungwan can give really valuable advice that goes for miles; most of the time, only if she thinks that person has the capability and perseverance to pursue a career in the industry.

The collective reputation Seungwan has in the industry goes far beyond her own country; not only is she one of the strictest, sharpest vocal coaches in history, but she also has her own achievements and accolades to show for herself. What truly garners her the respect she continues to receive though, is her passion for the music and the art. Despite not being able to sing professionally as an idol anymore, Seungwan just wants to help others achieve their dreams so they can skip dwelling in their regrets.

“Finally, down to the last three. Lord, I’m exhausted.”

“Momo, come on. You know you didn’t have to come today... whereas I promised Bora I’d be here to replace her.” Seungwan smiles, nudging the older blonde.

“You know I will never pass up the chance to see good dancers, Seungwan-unnie... it’s just like how you’ll want to be present when there are phenomenal singers auditioning, right?”

Naturally.

Backstage stands a nervous trainee, albeit quieter than the others due to her own bundle of nerves. This could be her last chance to pursue something she loves doing before settling for a boring office job. Begging her parents for one more chance seemed to do the trick but prayers can only go so far after all. if she somehow blows this audition, her parents and other relatives are just going to carry that look whenever they see her.

“Number twenty-nine, you’re up!”

God, I’m going to throw up.

The fact that she knows the entire panel sitting in front of the stage makes it even worse for her nerves; famed and recognized dancers... on top of that, a vocal coach is also present, surprisingly.

“Please introduce yourself.”

Intertwining her fingers tightly, she can feel her hands become sweatier. “My name is Bae Joohyun... I will be performing an original written by a friend. Um... I also need to use a chair for this performance. Is that okay?”

Seungwan crosses her arms over her chest and rests them on the table, intrigued by the sudden request. For the entire day, not a single trainee stood out for outstanding talent or attitude. Sure, there were some willing to work hard and all but no actual trainees with star qualities have appeared thus far. This is the first time she’s seen an actual trainee bother to dress up with make-up, a sultry dress and with a tambourine in hand too... Seungwan can only cross her fingers and hope she’s not a wannabe circus act.

When the speakers begin to blast, Seungwan has to clench her jaw to stop it from opening. The bashful trainee with pinkish cheeks and a shy demeanour sitting on a chair with her legs spread and a tambourine in hand, along with a tambourine... Lord, this is not what she expected.

“Oh, it’s a pure dance routine, apparently. I just noticed the bottom line.”

“Interesting.” Seungwan mumbles monotonously, though not very impressed by the sudden revelation. If they’re here to show off one skill then why come to an idol audition at all?

There is, however, something about that particular trainee which screams at Seungwan – she can’t put her finger on it yet.

tightens just a little, when the trainee begins to sensually sway her hips and do body waves... what the hell. Seungwan immediately reaches for a bottle of water, trying to get herself together. She admits that she is more than just deprived, however you want to decipher those words, so her reaction may be misunderstood easily.

One more shake of her hips though, and Seungwan is a mess.

With water all over her pants.

Bae Joohyun seemed to be in a trance the entire time she was dancing, completely unbothered by the judges’ expressions or lack thereof. She only returned back to earth when the song ended and her eyes finally open.

‘Seungwan left the panel... is she disappointed because I didn’t sing?’

A part of Joohyun is mortified, knees almost buckling at the thought of not getting through because she didn’t sing a single line. She neatly gathers her long, luscious locks into a loose ponytail and stands with her hands behind her back.

“Please have some water and relax while we wait for Seungwan-unnie to come back.” Momo offers politely, her tone firm but not malicious.

When Seungwan finally reappears near the panel, Joohyun notices that the latter has completely changed her outfit. No one needs to know this private portion of her thoughts but wow, Joohyun has seen pictures prior to this audition but the camera does not do her any justice at all. She was so fixated on preparing herself mentally for her performance that she barely noticed Seungwan on a greater level. Now, however, Joohyun is free to analyse each of the judges’ expressions and some of them... well.

“My apologies for the wait. Have you begun discussing her score?”

“Not yet.”

Seungwan turns to Joohyun with a stoic expression, sparing the trainee a glance – and she really is quite gorgeous. She picks up the microphone and clears , eyes staring deep into Joohyun’s. “Please give us a few minutes to decide. Thank you for your patience.”

A mere audition should not be cramping her nerves to this extent but Joohyun feels like she’s about to pass out. The way Seungwan’s eyes darkened when they landed on her is enough to ignite a flame deep down. She only broke eye contact when the judge next to her nudged her in the ribs... maybe the lack of singing didn’t get to her. Now that all of them up at the panel are standing in a circle, Joohyun can’t see a single one of their faces in full view. There is, however, a stark difference in Seungwan and the other judges’ expressions.

“Bae Joohyun, you’ve passed. Please wait for the next round of auditions.”

Now, trainees usually receive individual feedback from each judge, but not Joohyun.

“Thank you so much... is it possible for me to know what I received from each of you? I want to make sure I can improve myself so I can prove that I’m worthy of a spot.”

This time, one of the male judges – sculpted like a God and dances like a king, Kai – lifts his microphone. “Actually, you received good feedback from every one of us, except Seungwan.”

Joohyun thought she was ready for any kind of result possible but to have every single judge – except for one – give her the green light? Before she can even thank them, Joohyun’s vision blurs from the hot tears. She buries her face into her palms, chest tightening at her attempt to hold back her emotions.

“Congratulations, Bae Joohyun.”

That’s Seungwan’s voice.

Seungwan herself isn’t sure why she’s congratulating a trainee who didn’t bother to sing anything at all. Normally, she’d be biting their heads off for even daring to audition. What’s the point in becoming an idol if you don’t sing? One of the questions she asks without fail, more so if the other judges give them a pass and she doesn’t. She’s aware of the other judges’ gazes on her, probably questioning if she was under the weather today. Being nice is not in her dictionary, not when it comes to working with music.

“You’re going to have to work a lot harder for other singers to respect you, considering you got in based on just dancing alone. I still don’t really know what else you can do besides dance to a practiced routine, so I wish you luck.”

And there she is again.

Now that’s Seungwan.

*

“I hated it. You better not fall sick anymore because I won’t stand in for you again.” Seungwan rolls her eyes, wiping her hands on her apron.

Bora dances her way into the kitchen, dismissing the little fuss her friend is making. She already knew this would happen when she sent the text out, so it’s not surprising. “I said I’d buy you that home karaoke machine that you want so badly. Stop complaining.”

A pout grows on Seungwan’s face; she would have done it without Bora promising anything either way but still. Although being a vocal coach would have sufficed very much, it doesn’t help that most of the judges are known for their dancing and being idols in general. It’s been far too many years since Seungwan stepped out from the idol industry and converted to a vocal coach; people might think of her as a hypocrite. That’s the main reason why she shies away from the camera these days.

The paparazzi is just too invasive to be good for anyone.

“I heard from Momo that there was one trainee who didn’t sing at all though. That should have been interesting for you to critique.” Bora mumbles, stealing a slice of battered vegetables from the plate.

“I guess you can say that... she has her own charm to her, maybe.”

“A charm from someone who doesn’t sing? Who are you?”

Seungwan can barely hold herself back from lunging at the other woman, snickering at her friend. She should have known sweet innocent Momo would reveal everything without restraint as long as she was asked. Though her eyes are still fixated on the plate in front of her, Seungwan can feel Bora’s gaze boring into the back of her head.

“Eat your food and shut up. I’m going to bed.”

“Good morning, everyone. Your schedules have been given out earlier this morning so I assume you know where to go. Vocal studios will be at the west side of the building, on floor twenty-one. Dance studios are on the east side, depending on who is teaching for the day.”

Joohyun’s head is already buzzing with excitement, not being able to sleep the previous night purely out of disbelief that she passed the auditions. Being in the company that houses some of the biggest names in the industry is already half a dream come true. Her schedule today can knock her out any day, seeing as she’s one of the only three trainees that have both dancing and vocal lessons today. If the dance teacher is anything like Seungwan, Joohyun knows she’s not going to last here.

Harsh criticism is usually supposed to inspire people, but it has the opposite effect on Joohyun.

“Minatozaki Sana, Bae Joohyun. Your vocal lessons will begin in ten minutes so please drink lots of water and do your warm ups!”

me.

Why did she have to start with vocal lessons?

The other trainee, Sana, maintains one of the biggest smiles on her face but her tense jaw reveals her nerves unintentionally. She is probably the friendliest trainee – or person, rather – Joohyun has ever encountered, always genuine and willing to help others.

“Unnie, I’m scared.”

“Me too, Sana... Don’t forget I didn’t even sing during my audition. At least you tried... that already makes a difference.” Joohyun groans, her arms tightly linked with Sana’s (not by choice, definitely) as the two of them make their way towards the studio.

Before either of them realizes, they find themselves standing outside the studio with shaky knees. Joohyun doesn’t mean this in a malicious manner but if it’s Seungwan behind these doors, she’ll actually end it all right here. It’s her first day and if an